El Museo

Since there was only one dive today, I spent the afternoon at the Museo de la Comunidad Judía de Sosúa (Museum of the Sosúa Jewish Community). About 350 families relocated to Sosúa during WWII after the Dominican Republic became the first, and in fact only, country at the Evian Conference to open its borders to refugees.

El Museo

Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican President at the time, not only set an ambitious quota of 100,000 people, he offered 26,000 acres of his own property for their relocation. Trujillo believed it would be advantageous for his country to accept European-educated refugees. He apparently disagreed with the belief in Jewish racial inferiority. Not as much can be said for his policies towards other races (Trujillo is infamous in Hispaniola for anti-Black racism, authoritarian practices, and massacres of Haitians).

Museo Judio

In the end only about 5,000 Jews made it to the Dominican Republic, most of whom eventually left for the United States. A letter written by a Jewish woman who arrived in the DR at the age of 13 was on display at the museum. It gave some insight as to why so few made it, despite the government's willingness to accept them. She said they had to travel from Switzerland, through France, Spain, Portugal, and the United States to get here. They needed a separate visa to pass through each of the countries. By the time one had granted passage, the visa for another had expired. Eventually all the stars aligned and their family made the voyage. Evidently, most others weren't so lucky. Also on display was the Nazi passport of one of the refugees with a big red "J" stamped across the holder's name.

The thing that had the greatest impact on me was another letter (dated 1990) from a man whose parents had brought him as an infant to Sosúa before moving permanently to the United States. The purpose of the letter was to express regret that he would not be able to attend a reunion of Sosúa refugees and to offer his old Dominican passport for display in the museum. He added a personal note that he had two children born in the United states, who therefore held passports that allowed them to travel to just about any country in the world at just about any time they pleased. It struck me just how much we Americans take for granted our freedom to move about. Most of the world, even today, must apply for visas far in advance and pay prohibitive fees before they can travel.